by Dr Lee Chen-Yr and Michel Jodoin Ph D

Zhejiang Shaoxing Second Hospital, PRC

ABSTRACT

Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang was used to treat 134 cancer patients who had previously been given chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which resulted in leukopenia. The overall effectiveness rate was 84.3 %

GENERAL DATA

Of the 134 cases (both inpatients and outpatients) who were treated with chemotherapy, 94 were males and 40 females, ranging in age from 20 to 80, with an average age of 51. Etiologically, they were classified as follows : stomach cancer (39), lung cancer (28), breast cancer (17), rectal carcinoma (13), lymphoma (12), liver cancer (12), bladder cancer (7), multiple myeloma (3), and chronic granulocytic leukemia (3). All cases were clearly diagnosed as malignant tumors, confirmed pathologically, as well as histologically and immunologically.

ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

All patients were given Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang prepared by Dr Lee Chen-Yr and Dr Michel Jodoin. They took the formula as a standard decoction for 10 days as a treatment course, for a total of three courses, totaling a period of 30 days. Use of other medicines for increasing WBC were suspended during this period.

WBC counts were taken and recorded before and after the treatment. If after the first treatment course, WBC did not increase or failed to increase to the standard level, the second course was continued. If the same was true following the second course, the third treatment course was initiated. If there was no increase in WBC after the three courses, treatment was considered ineffective. If after one course, WBC increased to the standard level, the case was considered effectively treated, though the herbal formula was continued through the completion of three courses.

RESULTS

Lower WBC was recorded in all 134 cases. Prior to treatment, WBC was recorded at 2.5 x 109/L ~ 3.6 x 109/L in 109 cases and below 2.5 x 109/L in 25 cases. Following treatment with modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, WBC increased to the standard level to the standard level during chemotherapy in 46 cases, in the interval between chemotherapy sessions in 45 cases, and following radiation therapy in 22 cases. A total of 113 cases were effectively treated, for an overall effectiveness rate of 84.3%. Seventy cases (52.2%) were effectively treated after the first course and 43 (32.1%) following the second course.

Cancer patients not only exhibited obvious increases in WBC, but improvement of clinical manifestations as well, especially pale face, lack of energy, qi deficiency, decreased verbal activity, loos of appetite, dizziness, and spontaneous perspiration. In patients who showed no increase of WBC or an increase that kept them below the standard level (21 cases), clinical manifestations were not improved.

These findings were statistically significant (P<0.05) suggesting that the increase of WBC correlated with improved immunological function.

DISCUSSION

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy in cancer patients cause hemopoietic depression, thereby limiting the choice of anticancer treatments. Therefore, it is important for the patient’s survival rate and quality of life to prevent and restore bone marrow depression and broaden the field of anticancer treatments.

Currently, medicines used clinically to increase WBC are leucogen, butyl alcohol, vitamin B4, nucleotide, sexual hormones and adrenocortical hormones. However, their efects are not obvious and some have side effects. As a new kind of biological modulator, Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang can irritate the GO-stage celles of stem cells in bone marrow. The increase of WBC in 134 cases treated with Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang resulted in an effectiveness rate of 84.3%, which parallels related studies.

After using Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, patients in the treatment group showed improvement in their general condition, as well as improvement in clinical manifestations to varying degrees. In 113 cases, WBC returned to normal levels. These results were significantly different (P<0.05) when compared with those not exhibiting an increase in WBC or those having an increase below the normal level. This observation may explain why, after using Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, cancer patients saw an increase in their WBC to normal levels and improvement in their immune function.

The authors thereby conclude that, given the fact that chemotherapy and radiation therapy cause a decrease in WBC, the use of Modified Shi Quan Da Bu Tang is indicated to help ameliorate this condition.